Newborn Umbilical Cord Care

When a baby is born, a section of the maternal umbilical cord remains attached to the baby for about 10-20 days. This is normal and the cord will fall off by itself. In order to prevent infection and dry up the cord, one should clean the baby’s umbilical cord with 70% alcohol. After the cord falls off, one can bathe the baby in normal tepid water. If there any redness, bad odor, swelling, discharge or tenderness in the area, please contact your doctor as soon as possible.